System and method for updating user equipment capability

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a user equipment (UE) includes detecting an occurrence of an overheating condition in the UE, and based thereon, determining a first set of operating capabilities of the UE from a second set of operating capabilities of the UE, where the first and second set of operating capabilities are associated with a connection between the UE and a network entity, and where the first set of operating capabilities is a reduction in operating capability of the UE when compared to the second set of operating capabilities, triggering a transfer of UE capability information associated with the first set of operating capabilities, and applying, by the UE, the first set of operating capabilities to the connection.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 15/691,940, filed on Aug. 31, 2017, entitled “System and Methodfor Updating User Equipment Capability,” which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/444,414, filed on Jan. 10, 2017,entitled “System and Method for Updating User Equipment Capability,”both of which application are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method fordigital communications, and, in particular embodiments, to a system andmethod for updating user equipment (UE) capability.

BACKGROUND

Future wireless communications systems are supporting user equipments(UEs) with greater capabilities (e.g., maximum data rate, number ofsupported carriers in carrier aggregation (CA), number of antennas inmultiple input multiple output (MIMO) operation, and so on). However,the increased capabilities come with additional processing requirements.In some situations, the additional processing required to support theincreased capabilities leads to overheating of the UE, which may havedifficulty dissipating the heat due to UE packaging limitations.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments provide a system and method for updating userequipment (UE) capability.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a method for operating a userequipment (UE) is provided. The method includes detecting, by the UE, anoccurrence of an overheating condition in the UE, and based thereon,determining, by the UE, a first set of operating capabilities of the UEfrom a second set of operating capabilities of the UE, where the firstand second set of operating capabilities are associated with aconnection between the UE and a network entity, and where the first setof operating capabilities is a reduction in operating capability of theUE when compared to the second set of operating capabilities,triggering, by the UE, a transfer of UE capability informationassociated with the first set of operating capabilities, and applying,by the UE, the first set of operating capabilities to the connection.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein triggering thetransfer of the UE capability information comprises transmitting amessage including the UE capability information to the network entity.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UEcapability information comprises information associated with an entiretyof the first set of operating capabilities.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UEcapability information comprises information associated with operatingcapabilities of the first set of operating capabilities that differsfrom the second set of operating capabilities.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the messagecomprises a radio resource control (RRC) message.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the message isone of an instance of a UE capability message, a special purpose messageconveying the UE capability information associated with operatingcapabilities of the first set of operating capabilities, or an existingmessage with one or more additional information elements (IEs) conveyingthe UE capability information associated with operating capabilities ofthe first set of operating capabilities.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein triggering thetransfer of the UE capability information comprises transmitting anindicator indicating to the network entity to request the UE capabilityinformation.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indicatoris transmitted in one of an RRC message or a medium access control (MAC)control element (CE).

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein applying thefirst set of operating capabilities occurs after at least one of the UEreceives reconfiguration information compatible with the first set ofoperating capabilities, the UE receives a configuration change indicatorindicating that the UE capability information is acceptable, or anelapsing of a specified amount of time after the UE triggered thetransfer of the UE capability information without the UE receiving thereconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities or the configuration change indicator.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein applying thefirst set of operating capabilities occurs after the UE receivesreconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities, or a configuration change indicator indicating that the UEcapability information is acceptable, and wherein the method furtherincludes detecting, by the UE, that a specified amount of time haselapsed after the UE triggered the transfer of the UE capabilityinformation without the UE receiving the reconfiguration informationcompatible with the first set of operating capabilities or theconfiguration change indicator, and based thereon, detaching, by the UE,from the network entity, and reattaching, by the UE, to the networkentity in accordance with the first set of operating capabilities.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a UE is provided. The UEincludes a processor, and a computer readable storage medium storingprogramming for execution by the processor. The programming includinginstructions to configure the UE to detect an occurrence of anoverheating condition in the UE, and based thereon, determine a firstset of operating capabilities of the UE from a second set of operatingcapabilities of the UE, where the first and second set of operatingcapabilities are associated with a connection between the UE and anetwork entity, and where the first set of operating capabilities is areduction in operating capability of the UE when compared to the secondset of operating capabilities, trigger a transfer of UE capabilityinformation associated with the first set of operating capabilities, andapply the first set of operating capabilities to the connection.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the programmingincludes instructions to configure the UE to transmit a messageincluding the UE capability information to the network entity.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the programmingincludes instructions to configure the UE to transmit an indicatorindicating to the network entity to request the UE capabilityinformation.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UE appliesthe first set of operating capabilities after at least one of the UEreceives reconfiguration information compatible with the first set ofoperating capabilities, the UE receives a configuration change indicatorindicating that the UE capability information is acceptable, or anelapsing of a specified amount of time after the UE triggered thetransfer of the UE capability information without the UE receiving thereconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities or the configuration change indicator.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UE appliesthe first set of operating capabilities after the UE receivesreconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities, or a configuration change indicator indicating that the UEcapability information is acceptable, and wherein the programmingincludes instructions to detect that a specified amount of time haselapsed after the UE triggered the transfer of the UE capabilityinformation without the UE receiving the reconfiguration informationcompatible with the first set of operating capabilities or theconfiguration change indicator, and based thereon, detach from thenetwork entity, and reattach to the network entity in accordance withthe first set of operating capabilities.

In accordance with an example embodiment, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing programming for execution by one ormore processors is provided. The programming including instructions todetect an occurrence of an overheating condition in a UE, and basedthereon, determine a first set of operating capabilities of the UE froma second set of operating capabilities of the UE, where the first andsecond set of operating capabilities are associated with a connectionbetween the UE and a network entity, and where the first set ofoperating capabilities is a reduction in operating capability of the UEwhen compared to the second set of operating capabilities, trigger atransfer of UE capability information associated with the first set ofoperating capabilities, and apply the first set of operatingcapabilities to the connection.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the programmingincludes instructions to transmit a message including the UE capabilityinformation to the network entity.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the programmingincludes instructions to transmit an indicator indicating to the networkentity to request the UE capability information.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UE appliesthe first set of operating capabilities after at least one of the UEreceives reconfiguration information compatible with the first set ofoperating capabilities, the UE receives a configuration change indicatorindicating that the UE capability information is acceptable, or anelapsing of a specified amount of time after the UE triggered thetransfer of the UE capability information without the UE receiving thereconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities or the configuration change indicator.

Optionally, in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the UE appliesthe first set of operating capabilities after the UE receivesreconfiguration information compatible with the first set of operatingcapabilities, or a configuration change indicator indicating that the UEcapability information is acceptable, and wherein the programmingincludes instructions to configure the UE to detect that a specifiedamount of time has elapsed after the UE triggered the transfer of the UEcapability information without the UE receiving the reconfigurationinformation compatible with the first set of operating capabilities orthe configuration change indicator, and based thereon, detach from thenetwork entity, and reattach to the network entity in accordance withthe first set of operating capabilities.

Practice of the foregoing embodiments enables a UE to dynamically updatethe UE capability to reduce processing requirements, and therefore, heatdissipation requirements, without having to detach and re-attach to thenetwork, which would lead to service interruptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communications system accordingto example embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of example operations occurring in aUE that is overheating;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of example operations occurring in aUE adjusting the UE capability to compensate for overheating accordingto example embodiments described herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram displaying first example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE and network as the UEadjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating according toexample embodiments described herein;

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram displaying second example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE and network as the UEadjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating according toexample embodiments described herein;

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram displaying third example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE and network as the UEadjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating while using atimer to ensure that the UE capability is changed according to exampleembodiments described herein;

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram displaying fourth example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE and network as the UEadjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating while using atimer to ensure that the UE capability is changed according to exampleembodiments described herein;

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment processing systemfor performing methods described herein;

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a transceiver adapted to transmitand receive signaling over a telecommunications network according toexample embodiments described herein;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example communication system according to exampleembodiments described herein;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate example devices that may implement themethods and teachings according to this disclosure; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a computing system that may be used forimplementing the devices and methods disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The making and using of the presently example embodiments are discussedin detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the presentdisclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts that can beembodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to makeand use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communications system 100.Communications system 100 includes access nodes, such as access node 105and access node 107, serving user equipments (UEs), such as UEs 110,112, and 114. A single UE may be served by one or more access nodes. Inan example operating mode, transmissions for UEs as well astransmissions by UEs pass through the access nodes. The access nodesallocate resources for the transmissions to or from the UEs.

While it is understood that communications systems may employ multipleaccess nodes capable of communicating with a number of UEs, only twoaccess nodes, and five UEs are illustrated for simplicity.

Access nodes may also be commonly referred to as NodeBs, evolved NodeBs(eNBs), next generation (NG) Node Bs (gNBs), master eNBs (MeNBs),secondary eNBs (SeNBs), master gNBs (MgNBs), secondary gNBs (SgNBs),base stations, access points, controllers, remote radio heads, and soon. Similarly, UEs may also be commonly referred to as mobiles, mobilestations, stations, terminals, subscribers, users, and so on. Atransmission point (TP) may be used to refer to any network-side devicecapable of transmitting. Therefore, transmission points may refer toaccess nodes, eNBs, base stations, NodeBs, MeNBs, SeNBs, remote radioheads, access points, and the like. A transmit-receive point (TRP)refers to a TP that also is capable of receiving. The network-sidedevices may be referred to collectively as the network. In somesituations, UEs, mobiles, mobile stations, terminals, subscribers,users, and so on, may also be referred to as TPs or TRPs.

As discussed previously, increasing the capabilities of a UE, e.g.,maximum data rate, number of supported carriers in carrier aggregation(CA), number of antennas in multiple input multiple output (MIMO)operation, and so on, may also increase the processing (signalprocessing and digital processing) performed by the UE. As anillustrative example, if MIMO operation is changed from 4×4 to 8×8, thenumber of channels that the UE has to process quadruples. Similarly, ifthe number of carriers changes from one to 4, the amount of data thatthe UE has to process also quadruples. Increased processing by the UEincreases power consumption, and thereby increases the amount of heatthat the UE has to dissipate.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of example operations 200 occurring ina UE that is overheating. Operations 200 may be indicative of operationsoccurring in a UE as the UE is overheating. The UE may be overheatingdue to processing performed during communications.

Operations 200 begin with the UE detecting that it is overheating (block205). The UE may be able to detect that is overheating using one or morethermal sensors, such as a thermistor, a diode, temperature detectioncircuitry, and so forth, located in the UE. The one or more thermalsensors may be located on or near a central processing unit(s) of theUE, on or near radio circuitry of the UE, on or near power amplifiers ofthe UE, on or near a battery of the UE, and so on. The UE compares asignal provided by the one or more thermal sensors against anoverheating threshold to detect if the UE is overheating, for example.The UE takes action to reduce power consumption (block 207). The UE mayforce a reduction in the data rate by ignoring some carriers (in a CAmode), turning off some receivers (in a MIMO mode), and so on. In somesituations, the data rate reduction is insufficient to reduce the heatdissipation requirements and the UE may have to enter a mode where theradio circuitry of the UE is turned off. An example of such a mode iscommonly referred to as an airplane mode. An alternative measure mayinvolve the UE detaching from the network altogether. When the UEdetects that it is no longer overheating (block 209), the UE resumesoperation (block 211), for example, by reactivating its radio circuitryor by reattaching to the network. It is noted however that simplyresuming full data rate operation would likely cause the UE to againoverheat, and that in the absence of information about the overheating,the network is likely to instruct the UE to resume full data rateoperation.

In general, a UE that is experiencing overheating due to a demandingconfiguration (e.g., high data rates, MIMO configuration, large numberof carriers, and so on) is not able to alter its capability withoutdisrupting service. Furthermore, detaching and reattaching isunsatisfactory because although the UE capability may be changed duringreattachment, any ongoing service is interrupted. The dropping ofresources by the UE is a violation of technical standards, such as theThird Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)family of technical standards, and also leads to the dropping of packetswhile the network continues to use the UE configuration that led to theoverheating condition because the network is unaware of the condition ofthe UE. Such dropping of packets may cause the network to deactivate andthen reactivate the affected radio resources, e.g., one or more affectedcarriers, thereby leading to a situation wherein resources arecontinually activated, deactivated, activated, deactivated, and soforth. It is noted that reducing throughput is, however, a graceful wayof reducing heat dissipation requirements while retaining connectivity.Therefore, it is desirable to enable the UE to reduce its throughput ina way that will rectify the deficiencies noted above.

According to an example embodiment, when overheating occurs at a UE, theUE triggers a transfer of updated UE capability information to thenetwork to reduce the throughput, thereby reducing the heat dissipationrequirements and allowing the UE to cool down. The UE may detect theoverheating in accordance with an implementation defined threshold. TheUE may consider the overheating problem to be alleviated by a reductionin processing, achievable by reducing the data rate, MIMO rank, numberof carriers, or a combination thereof.

As an illustrative example, the UE triggers the transfer of the updatedUE capability information by transmitting an unsolicited capabilityupdate message to the network. The content of the capability updatemessage may be the entirety of the UE capability information (thatincludes one or more changes to the UE capability as proposed by the UE)or a subset of the UE capability information for which a change isrequested or indicated. For example, if the UE encounters an overheatingcondition attributable to operating a large number of carriers, thesubset of the UE capability information may indicate support for areduced number of carriers compared to the current operating UEcapability. Hence, the subset of the UE capability information mayinclude at least a reduced number of carriers, such as a number equal tothe reduced number of carriers or a difference between the currentnumber of carriers and the reduced number of carriers. The capabilityupdate message may also include a change indicator to indicate if the UEwill apply the change to the UE capability unconditionally. In otherwords, if the change indicator is set to a first value (e.g., binaryvalue “1”) to indicate that the UE will unconditionally change the UEcapability, the UE will change the capability of the UE in accordancewith the updated UE capability information even if no response isreceived from the network. If the change indicator is set to a secondvalue (e.g., binary value “0”) to indicate that the UE will notunconditionally change the UE capability, the UE will not change thecapability of the UE unless a response is received from the networkagreeing to capability change or otherwise allowing the UE to make thechange to the UE capability.

The capability update message may be implemented as a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message. The capability update message may comprise a newinstance of the UE Capability message; a special purpose message used toconvey information about a changed UE capability; one or more additionalinformation element (IE) in an existing message, such as aUEInformationResponse message; or a combination thereof.

As another illustrative example, the UE triggers the transfer of theupdated UE capability information by transmitting an indication, such asa message or an instance of control signaling, for the network to obtainthe updated UE capability information. Such an indication may be carriedby a message of a control plane protocol, for instance, an RRC message.Alternatively, an indication may be carried by a medium access control(MAC) control element (CE). The indication may comprise a single bit ofinformation indicating that the network should send a capabilityrequest, or multiple bits of information to convey additional detailssuch as identifying the capability fields that may need to be modified.The request for the network to obtain the updated UE capabilityinformation results in the network transmitting a UE capability requestmessage to the UE to have the UE transmit the updated UE capabilityinformation (or the subset of changed UE capability information) to thenetwork. The request for the network to obtain the updated UE capabilityinformation may be transmitted in a separate message transmitted to thenetwork. Alternatively, the request for the network to obtain theupdated UE capability information may be piggy backed with a messagealready being transmitted to the network. The request for the network toobtain the updated UE capability information may be implemented as atwo-valued indicator.

According to an example embodiment, the UE expects that the network willreconfigure the UE in accordance with the updated UE capabilityinformation. The reconfiguration of the UE may occur immediately orsubstantially immediately. As an illustrative example, the networktransmits updated configuration information to the UE. The updatedconfiguration information includes information for the connection asmodified in accordance with the updated UE capability information. Theupdated configuration information may include the entirety of theconfiguration information or a subset of the configuration informationthat has changed due to the updated UE capability information. Asanother illustrative example, the network does not transmit updatedconfiguration to the UE (due to the change indicator being set to thefirst value, for example) and the UE automatically changes thecapability of the UE in accordance with the updated UE capabilityinformation after triggering the transfer of the updated UE capabilityinformation. As yet another illustrative example, the UE initiates atimer after triggering the transfer of the updated UE capabilityinformation and if the timer expires prior to receiving the updatedconfiguration information from the network, the UE detaches from thenetwork and re-attaches to the network with the updated UE capability.Alternatively, the UE automatically makes the change to the UEcapability if the timer expires prior to receiving the updatedconfiguration information from the network (as indicated by the changeindicator, for example). As an example, the UE may throttle its ownprocessing, drop monitoring of some carriers and/or antenna ports. Thetimer may be a supervisory timer with a duration that is implementationdefined or specified in a technical standard.

In general, the reconfiguration of the connection between the UE and thenetwork is necessary for the UE to continue operation because the UE isnot able to continue for an extended amount of time using the existingconnection configuration due to UE's inability to continue operating inthe overheating condition. Therefore, the UE may be able to expect thereconfiguration to occur with high confidence. In an extreme situation,the UE may continue to operate as best it can and subsequently enterthermal shutdown.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of example operations 300 occurring ina UE adjusting the UE capability to compensate for overheating.Operations 300 may be indicative of operations occurring in a UE as theUE adjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating.

Operations 300 begin with the UE operating with a first configuration(block 305). The first configuration may be an initial configurationspecified by the network when the UE attached to the network.Alternatively, the first configuration may be a subsequent configurationspecified by the network or set by the UE after the UE had detected anearlier overheating situation. The UE performs a check to determine ifthe UE is overheating (block 307). As discussed previously, the check todetermine if the UE is overheating may involve the comparison of asignal provided by one or more thermal sensors with an overheatingthreshold. The overheating threshold may be configured by themanufacturer of the UE, a reseller of the UE, an operator of thecommunications system, and so on.

If the UE is overheating, the UE updates the UE capability to reduce theheat generated by the UE (block 309). The UE may be able to update anyone or more of the capabilities that has an impact on the overheatingcondition. As an illustrative example, the UE reduces the number ofcarriers that the UE processes in receiving (or transmitting) data, theMIMO level to reduce the number of antennas used to receive and/ortransmit data, the data rate to reduce the amount of data available forprocessing, and so on. The UE triggers a transfer of updated UEcapability information (block 311). As an illustrative example, the UEtriggers the transfer of the updated UE capability information bytransmitting the updated UE capability information (or a subset thereofthat includes only the UE capability information that has changed) tothe network. The transmission of the updated UE capability informationmay be in the form of an unsolicited update message. As anotherillustrative example, the UE triggers the transfer of the updated UEcapability information by transmitting an indicator for the network toobtain the updated UE capability information. The request for thenetwork to obtain the updated UE capability information results in thenetwork transmitting a UE capability request message to the UE, causingthe UE transmit the updated UE capability information (or the subset ofchanged UE capability information) to the network.

The UE may perform a check to determine if updated configurationinformation has been received (block 313). The updated configurationinformation may be received from the network. If the UE has received theupdated configuration information, the UE operates with the updatedconfiguration (block 315). If the UE has not received the updatedconfiguration information, the UE may perform a check to determine if atimer timing the elapsed time since the transfer of the updated UEcapability information has expired (block 317). The value of the timermay be configured by the manufacturer of the UE, a reseller of the UE,an operator of the communications system, a technical standard, and soon. If the timer has not expired, the UE may return to block 313 tocheck for the receipt of the updated configuration information. If thetimer has expired, meaning that a specified amount of time has elapsedsince the transfer of the updated UE capability information, the UE mayrequest detachment from the network by transmitting a detach request(block 319) and reattach to the network using the updated UE capability(block 321). After reattachment, the UE operates with the updatedconfiguration (block 315). In an alternative example embodiment, if theUE has not received the updated configuration information within thespecified amount of time in blocks 313 and 315, the UE autonomouslychanges its own UE capability. In yet another alternative exampleembodiment, the UE automatically changes its own UE capability aftertriggering the transfer of the updated UE capability information. Insuch a situation, the UE does not have to wait to receive the updatedconfiguration nor for the timer to expire before taking action tomitigate the overheating condition.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram 400 displaying first example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE 405 and network 410 asUE 405 adjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating. Theinteraction between UE 405 and network 410 involves a situation whereinUE 405 adjusts the number of carriers being aggregated in a connectionsupporting CA.

UE 405 and network 410 share a connection configured with N carriers,where N is an integer number greater than one (block 415). As UE 405communicates with network 410, UE 405 determines that it is overheating(block 417). UE 405 adjusts the UE capability to reduce the heatgenerated by UE 405. As shown in FIG. 4 , UE 405 triggers the transferof the UE capability information by transmitting an unsolicitedcapability update message to network 410 (event 419). The capabilityupdate message may include the entirety of the UE capability informationor a subset of the UE capability information that includes the changedUE capability (as proposed by the UE), such as an indication that the UEcan support fewer than N simultaneously configured carriers. Network 410updates stored UE capability information (block 421). Network 410reconfigures the connection in accordance with the updated UE capabilityinformation and transmits configuration information for the connectionto UE 405 (block 423). As an example, network 410 reduces the number ofcarriers being aggregated to M, where M is less than or equal to N, asindicated by the UE in event 419. UE 405 and network 410 share theconnection configured with M carriers (block 425).

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram 500 displaying second example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE 505 and network 510 asUE 505 adjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating. Theinteraction between UE 505 and network 510 involves a situation whereinUE 505 triggers the transfer of the UE capability information bytransmitting a request for network 510 to obtain the updated UEcapability information.

UE 505 and network 510 share a connection and as UE 505 communicateswith network 510, UE 505 determines that it is overheating (block 515).UE 505 adjusts the UE capability to reduce the heat generated by UE 505.As shown in FIG. 5 , UE 505 triggers the transfer of the UE capabilityinformation by transmitting an indication for network 510 to obtain theupdated UE capability information (event 517). Network 510 transmits aUE capability request to UE 505 (event 519) and UE 505 transmits the UEcapability information that includes either the entirety of the UEcapability information (with the capability change as proposed by theUE) or a subset of the UE capability information that includes thechanged UE capability (as proposed by the UE) to network 510 (event521). Network 510 updates stored UE capability information (block 523).Network 510 reconfigures the connection in accordance with the updatedUE capability information and transmits configuration information forthe connection to UE 505 (block 525).

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram 600 displaying third example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE 605 and network 610 asUE 605 adjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating whileusing a timer to ensure that the UE capability is changed. Theinteraction between UE 605 and network 610 involves a situation wherethe MIMO rank is adjusted by UE 605.

UE 605 and network 610 share a connection configured to support MIMOrank of 8×8 (block 615). As UE 605 communicates with network 610, UE 605determines that it is overheating (block 617). UE 605 adjusts the UEcapability (reduces the MIMO rank to 4×4, 4×2, 4×1, 2×2, 2×1, or 1×1,for example, with 4×4 being the example shown in FIG. 6 ) to reduce theheat generated by UE 605. It is noted that the MIMO ranks used in thediscussion presented herein are for discussion purposes only and are notintended to limit either the scope or spirit of the example embodiments.UE 605 triggers the transfer of the UE capability information bytransmitting an unsolicited capability update message to network 610(event 619). The capability update message may include the entirety ofthe UE capability information (with the capability change as proposed bythe UE) or a subset of the UE capability information that includes thechanged UE capability (as proposed by the UE).

UE 605 performs a check to determine if it has received updatedconfiguration information (block 621). If UE 605 has not received theupdated configuration from network 610, UE 605 performs a check todetermine if the timer has expired (block 623). If the timer has notexpired, UE 605 returns to block 621 to wait for the updatedconfiguration information. If the timer has expired, UE 605 transmits adetach request to network 610 (event 625) and receives a detach acceptfrom network 610 (event 627). UE 605 re-attaches to network 610 with theUE capability information specifying a maximum MIMO rank of 4×4, forexample (event 629). UE 605 operates in accordance with the updatedconfiguration (block 631). As an alternative to the detach-attachsequence, UE 605 begins communicating in accordance with the UEcapability information without receiving the updated configurationinformation from network 610. If UE 605 has received the updatedconfiguration information in block 621, UE 605 operates in accordancewith the updated configuration (block 631).

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram 700 displaying fourth example processingperformed by and messages exchanged between a UE 705 and network 710 asUE 705 adjusts the UE capability to compensate for overheating whileusing a timer to ensure that the UE capability is changed. Theinteraction between UE 705 and network 710 involves a situation wherethe number of carriers used in CA is adjusted by UE 705.

UE 705 and network 710 share a connection configured to support CA with8 downlink carriers (block 715). As UE 705 communicates with network710, UE 705 determines that it is overheating (block 717). UE 705adjusts the UE capability (reduces the number of downlink carriers to 4,2, or 1, for example, with 4 being the example shown in FIG. 7 ) toreduce the heat generated by UE 705. It is noted that the number ofcarriers used in the discussion presented herein are for discussionpurposes only and are not intended to limit either the scope or spiritof the example embodiments. UE 705 triggers the transfer of the UEcapability information by transmitting an unsolicited capability updatemessage to network 710 (event 719). The capability update message mayinclude the entirety of the UE capability information (with thecapability change as proposed by the UE) or a subset of the UEcapability information that includes the changed UE capability (asproposed by the UE).

UE 705 performs a check to determine if it has received updatedconfiguration information (block 721). If UE 705 has received theupdated configuration information, UE 705 operates in accordance withthe updated configuration (block 723). If UE 705 has not received theupdated configuration from network 710, UE 705 performs a check todetermine if the timer has expired (block 725). If the timer has notexpired, UE 705 returns to block 721 to wait for the updatedconfiguration information. If the timer has expired, UE 705 operates inaccordance with the UE capability information without receiving theupdated configuration information from network 710 and stops monitoring4 of the 8 carriers (block 727).

The selection of which carriers to monitor and which carriers to notmonitor may be based on which carrier is the primary carrier and whichcarriers are secondary carriers. For example, the UE may continuemonitoring the primary carrier and cease monitoring one or moresecondary carriers. Network 710 detects a lack of feedback on thecarriers that are not being monitored by UE 705 (block 729). It is notedthat if MIMO is also implemented and if the updated capabilityinformation indicates a reduction in MIMO rank, UE 705 provides feedbackfor the 4 carriers that are being monitored, where the feedback isprovided at the reduced rank. Network 710 may be able to detect thereduced rank based on the feedback and reconfigure UE 705 accordingly.As an alternative to UE 705 operating in accordance with the UEcapability information without receiving the updated configurationinformation, UE 705 detaches from network 710, and attaches to network710 specifying a maximum number of carriers of 4.

Network 710, upon detection of an absence of feedback on the carriersunmonitored by UE 705 (block 729), may deactivate the unmonitoredcarriers. The deactivation of the unmonitored carriers resolves theconfiguration mismatch between UE 705 and network 710. Data transmittedon the unmonitored carriers will be lost however. In the situation whereradio link control (RLC) acknowledgement mode (AM) is being utilized,the loss of the data is detectable and the data may be retransmitted oncarriers that are being monitored by UE 705. Alternatively, network 710may immediately attempt to bring UE 705 back into an 8 carrierconfiguration, leading to a likely return to the overheating condition.However, the technical standards may require UE 705 to respect thereconfiguration. According to an example embodiment, UE 705 is permittedto disregard the reconfiguration under these circumstances, whichinclude the configuration which led to the overheating condition.According to an alternative example embodiment, UE 705 repeats thecapability change process as discussed above.

In some situations, the updated configuration information from thenetwork is not needed. As an illustrative example, the updatedconfiguration information from the network is not needed when UEcategory is changed or when MIMO rank is changed but transmission modeis not changed. According to an example embodiment, in a situationwherein the updated configuration information from the network is notneeded, a configuration change indicator is used to indicate that theconfiguration change made by the UE is accepted or not accepted. A newRRC message (e.g., a UECapabilityConfirm message) or lower layersignaling (e.g., a new MAC CE) including the configuration changeindicator may be used. If the configuration change indicator is set to afirst value (e.g., “1”) then the configuration change made by the UE isaccepted, while if the configuration change indicator is set to a secondvalue (e.g., “0”) then the configuration change made by the UE is notaccepted.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment processing system800 for performing methods described herein, which may be installed in ahost device. As shown, the processing system 800 includes a processor804, a memory 806, and interfaces 810-814, which may (or may not) bearranged as shown in FIG. 8 . The processor 804 may be any component orcollection of components adapted to perform computations and/or otherprocessing related tasks, and the memory 806 may be any component orcollection of components adapted to store programming and/orinstructions for execution by the processor 804. In an embodiment, thememory 806 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium. Theinterfaces 810, 812, 814 may be any component or collection ofcomponents that allow the processing system 800 to communicate withother devices/components and/or a user. For example, one or more of theinterfaces 810, 812, 814 may be adapted to communicate data, control, ormanagement messages from the processor 804 to applications installed onthe host device and/or a remote device. As another example, one or moreof the interfaces 810, 812, 814 may be adapted to allow a user or userdevice (e.g., personal computer (PC), etc.) to interact/communicate withthe processing system 800. The processing system 800 may includeadditional components not depicted in FIG. 8 , such as long term storage(e.g., non-volatile memory, etc.).

In some embodiments, the processing system 800 is included in a networkdevice that is accessing, or part otherwise of, a telecommunicationsnetwork. In one example, the processing system 800 is in a network-sidedevice in a wireless or wireline telecommunications network, such as abase station, a relay station, a scheduler, a controller, a gateway, arouter, an applications server, or any other device in thetelecommunications network. In other embodiments, the processing system800 is in a user-side device accessing a wireless or wirelinetelecommunications network, such as a mobile station, a user equipment(UE), a personal computer (PC), a tablet, a wearable communicationsdevice (e.g., a smartwatch, etc.), or any other device adapted to accessa telecommunications network.

In some embodiments, one or more of the interfaces 810, 812, 814connects the processing system 800 to a transceiver adapted to transmitand receive signaling over the telecommunications network. FIG. 9illustrates a block diagram of a transceiver 900 adapted to transmit andreceive signaling over a telecommunications network. The transceiver 900may be installed in a host device. As shown, the transceiver 900comprises a network-side interface 902, a coupler 904, a transmitter906, a receiver 908, a signal processor 910, and a device-side interface912. The network-side interface 902 may include any component orcollection of components adapted to transmit or receive signaling over awireless or wireline telecommunications network. The coupler 904 mayinclude any component or collection of components adapted to facilitatebi-directional communication over the network-side interface 902. Thetransmitter 906 may include any component or collection of components(e.g., up-converter, power amplifier, etc.) adapted to convert abaseband signal into a modulated carrier signal suitable fortransmission over the network-side interface 902. The receiver 908 mayinclude any component or collection of components (e.g., down-converter,low noise amplifier, etc.) adapted to convert a carrier signal receivedover the network-side interface 902 into a baseband signal. The signalprocessor 910 may include any component or collection of componentsadapted to convert a baseband signal into a data signal suitable forcommunication over the device-side interface(s) 912, or vice-versa. Thedevice-side interface(s) 912 may include any component or collection ofcomponents adapted to communicate data-signals between the signalprocessor 910 and components within the host device (e.g., theprocessing system 800, local area network (LAN) ports, etc.).

The transceiver 900 may transmit and receive signaling over any type ofcommunications medium. In some embodiments, the transceiver 900transmits and receives signaling over a wireless medium. For example,the transceiver 900 may be a wireless transceiver adapted to communicatein accordance with a wireless telecommunications protocol, such as acellular protocol (e.g., long-term evolution (LTE), etc.), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi, etc.), or any othertype of wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication(NFC), etc.). In such embodiments, the network-side interface 902comprises one or more antenna/radiating elements. For example, thenetwork-side interface 902 may include a single antenna, multipleseparate antennas, or a multi-antenna array configured for multi-layercommunication, e.g., single input multiple output (SIMO), multiple inputsingle output (MISO), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), etc. Inother embodiments, the transceiver 900 transmits and receives signalingover a wireline medium, e.g., twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, opticalfiber, etc. Specific processing systems and/or transceivers may utilizeall of the components shown, or only a subset of the components, andlevels of integration may vary from device to device.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example communication system moo. In general, thesystem 1000 enables multiple wireless or wired users to transmit andreceive data and other content. The system 1000 may implement one ormore channel access methods, such as code division multiple access(CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA(SC-FDMA), or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA).

In this example, the communication system 1000 includes electronicdevices (ED) 1010 a-1010 c, radio access networks (RANs) 1020 a-1020 b,a core network 1230, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 1040,the Internet 1050, and other networks 1060. While certain numbers ofthese components or elements are shown in FIG. 10 , any number of thesecomponents or elements may be included in the system woo.

The EDs 1010 a-1010 c are configured to operate and/or communicate inthe system moo. For example, the EDs 1010 a-1010 c are configured totransmit and/or receive via wireless or wired communication channels.Each ED 1010 a-1010 c represents any suitable end user device and mayinclude such devices (or may be referred to) as a user equipment/device(UE), wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed ormobile subscriber unit, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant(PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, orconsumer electronics device.

The RANs 1020 a-1020 b here include base stations 1070 a-1070 b,respectively. Each base station 1070 a-1070 b is configured towirelessly interface with one or more of the EDs 1010 a-1010 c to enableaccess to the core network 1030, the PSTN 1040, the Internet 1050,and/or the other networks 1060. For example, the base stations 1070a-1070 b may include (or be) one or more of several well-known devices,such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNodeB, a HomeNodeB, a Home eNodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), or awireless router. The EDs 1010 a-1010 c are configured to interface andcommunicate with the Internet 1050 and may access the core network 1030,the PSTN 1040, and/or the other networks 1060.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , the base station 1070 a forms partof the RAN 1020 a, which may include other base stations, elements,and/or devices. Also, the base station 1070 b forms part of the RAN 1020b, which may include other base stations, elements, and/or devices. Eachbase station 1070 a-1070 b operates to transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals within a particular geographic region or area, sometimesreferred to as a “cell.” In some embodiments, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) technology may be employed having multipletransceivers for each cell.

The base stations 1070 a-1070 b communicate with one or more of the EDs1010 a-1010 c over one or more air interfaces 1090 using wirelesscommunication links. The air interfaces 1090 may utilize any suitableradio access technology.

It is contemplated that the system 1000 may use multiple channel accessfunctionality, including such schemes as described above. In particularembodiments, the base stations and EDs implement LTE, LTE-A, and/orLTE-B. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocolsmay be utilized.

The RANs 1020 a-1020 b are in communication with the core network 1030to provide the EDs 1010 a-1010 c with voice, data, application, Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP), or other services. Understandably, theRANs 1020 a-1020 b and/or the core network 1030 may be in direct orindirect communication with one or more other RANs (not shown). The corenetwork 1030 may also serve as a gateway access for other networks (suchas the PSTN 1040, the Internet 1050, and the other networks 1060). Inaddition, some or all of the EDs 1010 a-1010 c may include functionalityfor communicating with different wireless networks over differentwireless links using different wireless technologies and/or protocols.Instead of wireless communication (or in addition thereto), the EDs maycommunicate via wired communication channels to a service provider orswitch (not shown), and to the Internet 1050.

Although FIG. 10 illustrates one example of a communication system,various changes may be made to FIG. 10 . For example, the communicationsystem 1000 could include any number of EDs, base stations, networks, orother components in any suitable configuration.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate example devices that may implement themethods and teachings according to this disclosure. In particular, FIG.11A illustrates an example ED 1110, and FIG. 11B illustrates an examplebase station 1170. These components could be used in the system 1000 orin any other suitable system.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the ED 1110 includes at least one processing unit1100. The processing unit 1100 implements various processing operationsof the ED 1110. For example, the processing unit 1100 could performsignal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing,or any other functionality enabling the ED 1110 to operate in the system1000. The processing unit 1100 also supports the methods and teachingsdescribed in more detail above. Each processing unit 1100 includes anysuitable processing or computing device configured to perform one ormore operations. Each processing unit 1100 could, for example, include amicroprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, fieldprogrammable gate array, or application specific integrated circuit.

The ED 1110 also includes at least one transceiver 1102. The transceiver1102 is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission byat least one antenna or NIC (Network Interface Controller) 1104. Thetransceiver 1102 is also configured to demodulate data or other contentreceived by the at least one antenna 1104. Each transceiver 1102includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless orwired transmission and/or processing signals received wirelessly or bywire. Each antenna 1104 includes any suitable structure for transmittingand/or receiving wireless or wired signals. One or multiple transceivers1102 could be used in the ED 1110, and one or multiple antennas 1104could be used in the ED 1110. Although shown as a single functionalunit, a transceiver 1102 could also be implemented using at least onetransmitter and at least one separate receiver.

The ED 1110 further includes one or more input/output devices 1106 orinterfaces (such as a wired interface to the Internet 1050). Theinput/output devices 1106 facilitate interaction with a user or otherdevices (network communications) in the network. Each input/outputdevice 1106 includes any suitable structure for providing information toor receiving/providing information from a user, such as a speaker,microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, includingnetwork interface communications.

In addition, the ED 1110 includes at least one memory 1108. The memory1108 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by theED 1110. For example, the memory 1108 could store software or firmwareinstructions executed by the processing unit(s) 1100 and data used toreduce or eliminate interference in incoming signals. Each memory 1108includes any suitable volatile and/or non-volatile storage and retrievaldevice(s). Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disc,subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD)memory card, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 11B, the base station 1170 includes at least oneprocessing unit 1150, at least one transceiver 1152, which includesfunctionality for a transmitter and a receiver, one or more antennas1156, at least one memory 1158, and one or more input/output devices orinterfaces 1166. A scheduler, which would be understood by one skilledin the art, is coupled to the processing unit 1150. The scheduler couldbe included within or operated separately from the base station 1170.The processing unit 1150 implements various processing operations of thebase station 1170, such as signal coding, data processing, powercontrol, input/output processing, or any other functionality. Theprocessing unit 1150 can also support the methods and teachingsdescribed in more detail above. Each processing unit 1150 includes anysuitable processing or computing device configured to perform one ormore operations. Each processing unit 1150 could, for example, include amicroprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, fieldprogrammable gate array, or application specific integrated circuit.

Each transceiver 1152 includes any suitable structure for generatingsignals for wireless or wired transmission to one or more EDs or otherdevices. Each transceiver 1152 further includes any suitable structurefor processing signals received wirelessly or by wire from one or moreEDs or other devices. Although shown combined as a transceiver 1152, atransmitter and a receiver could be separate components. Each antenna1156 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and/or receivingwireless or wired signals. While a common antenna 1156 is shown here asbeing coupled to the transceiver 1152, one or more antennas 1156 couldbe coupled to the transceiver(s) 1152, allowing separate antennas 1156to be coupled to the transmitter and the receiver if equipped asseparate components. Each memory 1158 includes any suitable volatileand/or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Each input/outputdevice 1166 facilitates interaction with a user or other devices(network communications) in the network. Each input/output device 1166includes any suitable structure for providing information to orreceiving/providing information from a user, including network interfacecommunications.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a computing system 1200 that may be usedfor implementing the devices and methods disclosed herein. For example,the computing system can be any entity of UE, access network (AN),mobility management (MM), session management (SM), user plane gateway(UPGW), and/or access stratum (AS). Specific devices may utilize all ofthe components shown or only a subset of the components, and levels ofintegration may vary from device to device. Furthermore, a device maycontain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processingunits, processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc. The computingsystem 1200 includes a processing unit 1202. The processing unitincludes a central processing unit (CPU) 1214, memory 1208, and mayfurther include a mass storage device 1204, a video adapter 1210, and anI/O interface 1212 connected to a bus 1220.

The bus 1220 may be one or more of any type of several bus architecturesincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or avideo bus. The CPU 1214 may comprise any type of electronic dataprocessor. The memory 1208 may comprise any type of non-transitorysystem memory such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM),or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the memory 1208 may includeROM for use at boot-up, and DRAM for program and data storage for usewhile executing programs.

The mass storage 1204 may comprise any type of non-transitory storagedevice configured to store data, programs, and other information and tomake the data, programs, and other information accessible via the bus1220. The mass storage 1204 may comprise, for example, one or more of asolid state drive, hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, or an opticaldisk drive.

The video adapter 1210 and the I/O interface 1212 provide interfaces tocouple external input and output devices to the processing unit 1202. Asillustrated, examples of input and output devices include a display 1218coupled to the video adapter 1210 and a mouse/keyboard/printer 1216coupled to the I/O interface 1212. Other devices may be coupled to theprocessing unit 1202, and additional or fewer interface cards may beutilized. For example, a serial interface such as Universal Serial Bus(USB) (not shown) may be used to provide an interface for an externaldevice.

The processing unit 1202 also includes one or more network interfaces1206, which may comprise wired links, such as an Ethernet cable, and/orwireless links to access nodes or different networks. The networkinterfaces 1206 allow the processing unit 1202 to communicate withremote units via the networks. For example, the network interfaces 1206may provide wireless communication via one or more transmitters/transmitantennas and one or more receivers/receive antennas. In an embodiment,the processing unit 1202 is coupled to a local-area network 1222 or awide-area network for data processing and communications with remotedevices, such as other processing units, the Internet, or remote storagefacilities.

It should be appreciated that one or more steps of the embodimentmethods provided herein may be performed by corresponding units ormodules. For example, a signal may be transmitted by a transmitting unitor a transmitting module. A signal may be received by a receiving unitor a receiving module. A signal may be processed by a processing unit ora processing module. Other steps may be performed by a determiningunit/module, a triggering unit/module, an applying unit/module, areattaching unit/module, and/or a detaching unit/module. The respectiveunits/modules may be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Forinstance, one or more of the units/modules may be an integrated circuit,such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs).

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been describedin detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutionsand alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE),the method comprising: detecting, by the UE, an overheating condition inthe UE; sending, by the UE, a message to a network entity, the messageindicating a proposed reduction to an operating capability of the UE inresponse to the overheating condition in the UE, the proposed reductionto the operating capability of the UE proposing a reduction of one of(i) a maximum number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers ofthe UE, (ii) a maximum number of carriers for carrier aggregation of theUE, (iii) a maximum data rate of the UE, or (iv) a UE category of the UEas indicated by the message sent from the UE to the network entity;receiving, by the UE, a reconfiguration indication from the networkentity in response to the message indicating the proposed reduction tothe operating capability of the UE, the reconfiguration indicationinstructing the UE to reconfigure the operating capability of the UE inaccordance with the proposed reduction to the operating capability; andreconfiguring, by the UE, the operating capability of the UE based onthe reconfiguration indication received from the network entity.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the UE waits to receive the reconfigurationindication before performing the proposed reduction to the operatingcapability of the UE such that the operating capability of the UE is notreconfigured until after the reconfiguration indication is received fromthe network entity.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messagecomprises a radio resource control (RRC) message.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the message indicates a proposed reduction to the maximumnumber of MIMO layers of the UE.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein themessage indicates a proposed reduction to the maximum number of carriersfor the carrier aggregation of the UE.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe message indicates a proposed reduction to the maximum data rate ofthe UE.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message indicates aproposed reduction to the UE category of the UE.
 8. The method of claim1, further comprising: detecting, by the UE, that the overheatingcondition is still present after reconfiguring the operating capabilityof the UE; sending, by the UE, a subsequent message to the networkentity, the subsequent message proposing a further reduction to theoperating capability of the UE; receiving, by the UE, a subsequentreconfiguration indication from the network entity in response to thesubsequent message, the subsequent reconfiguration indicationinstructing the UE to perform an additional reconfiguration of theoperating capability of the UE; and performing, by the UE, theadditional reconfiguration of the operating capability of the UE basedon the subsequent reconfiguration indication received from the networkentity.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by theUE, that the overheating condition is still present after reconfiguringthe operating capability of the UE; sending, by the UE, a subsequentmessage to the network entity, the subsequent message indicating areconfiguration of an additional operating capability of the UE, theadditional operating capability of the UE being different than theoperating capability of the UE; receiving, by the UE, a subsequentreconfiguration indication from the network entity in response to thesubsequent message, the subsequent reconfiguration indicationinstructing the UE to further reconfigure the additional operatingcapability of the UE; and reconfiguring, by the UE, the additionaloperating capability of the UE based on the reconfiguration indicationreceived from the network entity, wherein both the operating capabilityof the UE and the additional operating capability of the UE arereconfigured during a common period to mitigate the overheatingcondition.
 10. A user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one processor;and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storingprogramming for execution by the at least one processor, the programmingincluding instructions that when executed by the at least one processorcause the UE to: detect an overheating condition in the UE; send amessage to a network entity, the message indicating a proposed reductionto an operating capability of the UE in response to the overheatingcondition in the UE, the proposed reduction to the operating capabilityof the UE proposing a reduction of one of (i) a maximum number ofmultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the UE, (ii) a maximumnumber of carriers for carrier aggregation of the UE, (iii) a maximumdata rate of the UE, or (iv) a UE category of the UE as indicated by themessage sent from the UE to the network entity; receive areconfiguration indication from the network entity in response to themessage indicating the proposed reduction to the operating capability ofthe UE, the reconfiguration indication instructing the UE to reconfigurethe operating capability of the UE in accordance with the proposedreduction to the operating capability; and reconfigure the operatingcapability of the UE based on the reconfiguration indication receivedfrom the network entity.
 11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the UE waits toreceive the reconfiguration indication before performing the proposedreduction to the operating capability of the UE such that the operatingcapability of the UE is not reconfigured until after the reconfigurationindication is received from the network entity.
 12. The UE of claim 11,wherein the message comprises a radio resource control (RRC) message.13. The UE of claim 11, wherein the message indicates a proposedreduction to the maximum number of MIMO layers of the UE.
 14. The UE ofclaim 11, wherein the message indicates a proposed reduction to themaximum number of carriers for the carrier aggregation of the UE. 15.The UE of claim 11, wherein the message indicates a proposed reductionto the maximum data rate of the UE.
 16. The UE of claim 11, wherein themessage indicates a proposed reduction to the UE category of the UE. 17.The UE of claim 11, wherein the programming further includesinstructions to: detect that the overheating condition is still presentafter reconfiguring the operating capability of the UE; send asubsequent message to the network entity, the subsequent messageproposing a further reduction to the operating capability of the UE;receive a subsequent reconfiguration indication from the network entityin response to the subsequent message, the subsequent reconfigurationindication instructing the UE to perform an additional reconfigurationof the operating capability of the UE; and perform the additionalreconfiguration of the operating capability of the UE based on thesubsequent reconfiguration indication received from the network entity.18. A method comprising: receiving, by a network entity, a message froma user equipment (UE), the message indicating a proposed reduction to anoperating capability of the UE to mitigate an overheating condition inthe UE, the proposed reduction to the operating capability of the UEproposing a reduction of one of (i) a maximum number of multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) layers of the UE, (ii) a maximum number ofcarriers for carrier aggregation of the UE, (iii) a maximum data rate ofthe UE, or (iv) a UE category of the UE as indicated by the message sentfrom the UE to the network entity; and sending, by the network entity, areconfiguration indication to the UE in response to the messageindicating the proposed reduction to the operating capability of the UE,the reconfiguration indication instructing the UE to reconfigure theoperating capability of the UE in accordance with the proposed reductionto the operating capability.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the UEwaits to receive the reconfiguration indication before performing theproposed reduction to the operating capability of the UE such that theoperating capability of the UE is not reconfigured until after thereconfiguration indication is received from the network entity.
 20. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the message comprises a radio resourcecontrol (RRC) message.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the messageindicates a proposed reduction to the maximum number of MIMO layers ofthe UE.
 22. The method of claim 18, wherein the message indicates aproposed reduction to the maximum number of carriers for the carrieraggregation of the UE.
 23. The method of claim 18, wherein the messageindicates a proposed reduction to the maximum data rate of the UE. 24.The method of claim 18, wherein the message indicates a proposedreduction to the UE category of the UE.
 25. A network entity comprising:at least one processor; and a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor,the programming including instructions that when executed by the atleast one processor cause the network entity to: receive a message froma user equipment (UE), the message indicating a proposed reduction to anoperating capability of the UE to mitigate an overheating condition inthe UE, the proposed reduction to the operating capability of the UEproposing a reduction of one of (i) a maximum number of multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) layers of the UE, (ii) a maximum number ofcarriers for carrier aggregation of the UE, (iii) a maximum data rate ofthe UE, or (iv) a UE category of the UE as indicated by the message sentfrom the UE to the network entity; and send a reconfiguration indicationto the UE in response to the message indicating the proposed reductionto the operating capability of the UE, the reconfiguration indicationinstructing the UE to reconfigure the operating capability of the UE inaccordance with the proposed reduction to the operating capability. 26.The network entity of claim 25, wherein the UE waits to receive thereconfiguration indication before performing the proposed reduction tothe operating capability of the UE such that the operating capability ofthe UE is not reconfigured until after the reconfiguration indication isreceived from the network entity.
 27. The network entity of claim 25,wherein the message comprises a radio resource control (RRC) message.28. The network entity of claim 25, wherein the message indicates aproposed reduction to the maximum number of MIMO layers of the UE. 29.The network entity of claim 25, wherein the message indicates a proposedreduction to the maximum number of carriers for the carrier aggregationof the UE.
 30. The network entity of claim 25, wherein the messageindicates a proposed reduction to the maximum data rate of the UE. 31.The network entity of claim 25, wherein the message indicates a proposedreduction to the UE category of the UE.